CarExpert reaches 400,000 Kiwis

CarExpert says it has become the country’s largest automotive publisher less than six months after entering the market.

In July, 357,794 Kiwis visited CarExpert.co.nz, with almost 50,000 more consuming content across partner platforms Trade Me and Stuff. This took its combined monthly audience to more than 407,000 across the three platforms.

The result puts the website at the top of the automotive publishing market just months after its February launch as a joint venture with Trade Me, bringing the model behind Australia’s biggest new-car website to Aotearoa.

Damon Rielly, pictured, chief executive officer of CarExpert, says the speed of audience growth has reflected a simple consumer need.

“The fundamentals that made CarExpert Australia’s biggest new-car website haven’t changed,” he adds. “People want a trustworthy source to help them make an informed, confident decision about their next car. That’s as true in Auckland as it is in Adelaide. 

“To see New Zealanders embrace CarExpert at this pace, in less than six months, tells us there is a real appetite for what we are building.”

CarExpert’s proposition is focused on helping buyers make sense of the “increasingly complex” new-vehicle market with independent reviews, news and advice, together with tools such as car comparisons and car chooser that help consumers narrow their options and build a shortlist.

Country manager of CarExpert NZ, Mat McNay, says the rapid arrival of new brands, technologies and powertrains is making independent automotive information increasingly important for Kiwis.

“The new-car market is changing incredibly quickly,” he adds. “New brands, models, technologies and fuel types are arriving all the time to give buyers more choice, but also making the decision much harder.

“People are looking for credible, information-rich sources that help them cut through that complexity. The audience growth we’re seeing suggests they are finding that at CarExpert.”

Three major platforms

CarExpert content now powers the motoring sections of Trade Me and Stuff, extending its reach well beyond its own website. 

McNay says these partnerships go beyond content, opening the door for cross-platform partnerships, and allowing advertisers to reach more advertisers in a streamlined, strategic buy.

The platform’s first six months have focused on establishing the brand and building a strong local audience.

“The next phase is where it gets exciting. We have established the audience. Now we’re building out the proposition across content, video and our partnerships with Stuff and Trade Me.

“For consumers, it means more genuinely useful New Zealand automotive content. For advertisers, it creates a combination of automotive context, scale and cross-platform reach that’s difficult to replicate anywhere else in the market.”

Next stop YouTube

CarExpert will next month reveal the winner of its nationwide search for the face of its New Zealand video channel ahead of the launch of CarExpert NZ on YouTube.

Video has been central to CarExpert’s success across the Tasman. The New Zealand channel will combine locally produced vehicle reviews, news and explainers with collaboration between the teams on both sides of the ditch.

It says the launch will give Kiwis another way to research, compare and understand their next new vehicle.